Geoffrey Owens Joins Tyler Perry's 'The Haves and the Have Nots'

The former 'Cosby Show' actor will recur on the OWN series after Perry reached out in support of Owens working a day job between acting gigs.

In the span of two weeks, actor Geoffrey Owens has gone from being publicly shamed for working a day job between acting gigs to landing a recurring part on a Tyler Perry drama.

Owens has accepted Perry's offer of a role on the OWN series The Haves and the Have Nots. He'll recur on the show's sixth season, appearing in 10 episodes, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. The show is about to resume filming in Atlanta.

Perry was one of a number of Hollywood heavyweights who offered support for Owens after the former Cosby Show regular was photographed working at a Trader Joe's in New Jersey. The photos and story went viral after appearing in the Daily Mail and on the Fox News website.

"I'm about to start shooting OWN's number one drama next week! Come join us!!!" Perry tweeted Monday, using Owens' name as a hashtag. "I have so much respect for people who hustle between gigs. The measure of a true artist."

The outpouring of support for Owens in the wake of the photos included a "whole handful" of offers for acting work, Owens told THR. "It's been a real generosity of spirit and a generosity of action where that's concerned."

Owens played Elvin Tibideaux, the husband of Sondra (Sabrina Le Beauf), for much of The Cosby Show's run. He has also taught acting at Yale and in recent years racked up guest roles on Elementary, Blue Bloods, Lucifer and Divorce, among others.

TMZ first reported the news of Owens joining The Haves and the Have Nots.